Church’s First Annual Chili Cook-Off | Photo Dump

The past couple of weeks have brought Just Add Cheese to quite a few food events around town, starting with Church’s first annual Chili Cook-off which pinned Fenway restaurants head-to-head in a battle to see who had the best chili. From classic renditions of the slow-cooked crowd pleaser to more creative approaches, excitement arose as Boston residents flocked to the music venue side of Church, packing its insides to the brim. Here are some pics of the contendors, and congratulations to the winners! And if you don’t know who won already, I guess you’ll just have to keep reading to find out…

The home team served up the ”The Holy Trinity” a turduken style chili comprised of three different types rolled into one. They had ”The Father” which included turkey, poblanos, leeks and tomatillos; “The Son” made with duck, mole negro, and pasillo chiles; and ”The Holy Ghost” served as the chicken component, mixed with citrus, tomato, and habanero chiles.
(Church)

And for the winners…..(drum roll please)……

The crowd favorite was Jerry Remy’sand their 36 hour braised 3-meat chili in sailors swagger habanero sauce. The judges’ pick went to Top Chef alum Tiffani Faison (of Sweet Cheeks) for her inventive approach to repurposing the usual ingredients in chili using chicken, corn, curry, and a mint & cilantro sauce. YUM.

*Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to snap a pic of Thornton’s chili, or try it, they ran out

In the end I’d have to say the event was a huge success, and I hope it becomes an annual tradition. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible, to Church for hosting, to the organizers for making it happen, and to the great chefs without which the chili cook-off would not have been possible. And thanks to my family for showing up and having a great time, I always love sharing my nom-ventures with yous!

One Comment

No way! Jerry Remy’s? I was in love with Church’s chili (granted, I didn’t like them all mixed together — but separately they were all DIVINE). I think Tiffani’s judge win was well-deserved, but it was too sweet to win it for me. Next year, I’m hoping for a better layout or different admission policies. Trying to balance chili and a Guinness in that packed-to-the-gills space was INSANE.